This Struggle Between A Police Officer And Suspect Shows Why Body Cams Are So Useful

There are two sides to every story of a police encounter, but
often it's the dash cam video from the police cruiser that
settles the debate.

That video in some circumstances however can bring about more
questions than answers, and there's been a push for police
officers
to wear cameras on their body. A recent video release from
Celina Police Department in Texas demonstrates a good reason why.

The start of the video shows the angle from the cruiser's dash
cam, which captures the officer behind another vehicle asking the
suspect questions before both the officer and the suspect end up
on the ground in a struggle.

But as Celina police chief Mark Metdker told
NBC, "our officers know that when they step out of the vehicle,
everything they're doing and saying is being documented."

For Metdker's officers, that means a dash cam is recording audio
and video from the vehicle, in addition to a body camera clipped
to their shirt, which needs to be activated on every call.

In this instance, the body camera tells a very different story.
Out of nowhere, the suspect appears to throw a punch at the
officer, who then takes him down to the ground. "You don't want
to do this," the officer says as he's trying to subdue him.